Flywheel magneto apparatus



April 30, 1935.

' FLYWHEEL MAGNETO APPARATUS A. LESAGE 1,999,703

Filed Nov. 19 1952 Inventor Patented Apr. 30, 1935 UNITED STATES FLYWHEEL MAGNETO APPARATUS Alfred Lesage, Sohweinfurt, Germany Application November 19, 1932, Serial No. 643,328 In Germany November 21, 1931 I 3 Claims. The invention relates to a magnetoapparatus mounted on the flywheel of a combustion motor for generating the necessary electric currents for igniting the fuel mixture andfor lighting the electric lamps intended to illuminate a motorcycle or similar vehicle upon which the motor is mounted. For this purpose, the magneto is provided with separate coils for generating the illuminating current and the igniting current respectively.

The disadvantage in generators of this type, is that the current produced changes with the speed of the motor so that at too low a speed the lighting power is insuflicient, while at high speeds the excessive voltage will injure the filament of the lamp.

In order to remove the drawbacks referred to and to obtain a current of a definite normal or medium voltage, the flywheel magneto, in accordance with the present invention, is provided with a regulating device which includes an elec- 'trical resistance in the lighting circuit and a movable fly-weight which, under the influence of centrifugal force, controls a switch in such a way that the electrical resistance is shunted for certain speeds of the motor.

An embodiment of the invention is represented in the annexed drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in which- Fig. l is a side elevation of a flywheel magneto embodying my invention, and shows certain of the parts thereof in section, Y

Fig. 2 shows a section of certain of the parts taken on the broken line II--II of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a complete section on the line II--II of Fig. l.

Y The magneto is housed within the flywheel I and mounted with its rotating parts as usually on the shaft of an internal combustion motor (not shown). Its permanent magnets I and pole shoes la freely rotate about the armature coils la and lb for generating the illuminating current and about a coil 9 for generating the. ignition current. The coils la, lb and 5 have a common horseshoe laminated armature core 23 as shown. The coils la and lb are connected with one another by a wire 20 and together with the coil 5 mounted on the stationary. base plate of the, magneto. One end of the winding of the coil la is connected by means of a wire 2i to a contact 6 suitably insulated and arranged, e. g., in the center of an internal face of the casing enclosing the magneto. A spring brush 8 mounted by means of an insulating block 22 on the rotating flywheel is provided at its free end with a contact piece 9 bearing against said contact I. The other end of the springbrush 8 carries a contact piece Hi against which a counter-contact piece ii is pressed when the motor is idling or is operating at low speeds, said contact piece H being connected to the free end of a leaf spring 12 which also carries at this free end a flyweight i3, the other end of the spring i2 being fastenedat ll tothe body of the flywheel 1. Connected to the contact piece It is one end of a resistance coil IS, the other endof which is connected to the body of the flywheel at ll. This resistance may be given any ,well known shape and is suitably secured for rotation with the flywheel. The coil lb is connected to a wire spring I! is suflicient to overcome the centrifugal force of the fly-weight ll, and to maintain the contact pieces Ni, ii together. Under these conditions, the current flows from the coils la and lb, through the contact pieces 6 and 9, and through the insulatedspring brush 0, the con-- tacting point Ni, ii and the spring 12 to the body M of the machine at ll. The wire i 9 connected at another point to the machine body ends at one terminal of the lamp socket so that the cur-' rent returns from the other terminal of the lamp I! through the wire I! to the coil lb. At higher speeds of the motor, when the voltage of the illuminating circuit is increased, the centrifugal force acting on the weight I! will be correspondingly increased until the spring i2 is bent outwards by the fly-weight l3, thereby interrupting the contact between the pieces i9 and il. Then the current will flow from-the contact piece ll, through the resistance coil and from there to the body M of the machine, as before. In this way the voltage'will be reduced to the medium amount desired. The spring L2 will automatically close the contact point l9, II as soon as the speed of the motor has dropped to normal cruising speed. By means of my improved construction the voltage of the lamp varies within narrow limits only and the switching is done automatically at the various speeds.

The spring l2 may be replaced by a lever pivotally mounted and which is controlled by a spring and arranged for moving the contact.

What I claim isl. A flywheel magneto for generating electric currents for the illuminating circuit of a vehicle, including a permanent magnet attached to the flywheel, stationary armature windings between the poles of said magnet, a resistance in the circuit of said windings and rotating with said flywheel, a shunt across said-resistance, and including a switch, and means automatically operable upon the speed of rotation of the magneto exceeding a predetermined amount for opening said switch.

2. A flywheel magneto for generating electric currents for the illuminating circuit of a vehicle, including a permanent magnet attached to the flywheel, stationary armature windings between the poles of said magnet, a resistance in said illuminating circuit and rotating with said flywheel, a shunt across said resistance and including a switch having a pair of contact pieces, spring means for urging said switch in closed position, a fly-weight rotatable with said flywheel and connected for switch opening movement with one of said contact pieces to open said switch against the action of said spring means when the speed of rotation of said flywheel exceeds a predetermined amount, a stationary contact in the circuit of said windings, and a brush connected to said flywheel and electrically interconnecting said stationary contact with the other switch contact piece.

3. A flywheel magneto for generating electric current for the illuminating circuit of a vehicle,

including a stationary casing, a permanent magnet connected for rotation with the flywheel, stationary armature windings, a resistance in said illuminating circuit connected for rotation with said flywheel, a shunt across said resistance and including a leaf spring rotatable with said 11)- wheel, and a switch having a pair of contact pieces one of which is connected to said spring, a fly-weight connected to said spring for separating said contact pieces under the action of centriiugal force, whereby said circuit is opened when the speed of rotation of said flywheel exceeds a predetermined amount, a stationary contact in the circuit of said winding and attached to the casing in axial relationship with said flywheel, and a brush fixed to said flywheel and electrically interconnecting said contact with the other contact piece of said switch.

ALFRED LESAGE. 

